An Unexpected Visitor
by Geekdom is Wisdom
Summary: A few months after the incident in New York, Tony Stark plays host to an unlikely and uninvited guest. Mini-fic, T for mild language.
1. Chapter 1

The faint blue glow from the arc reactor lit the darkened room, wavering slightly as Tony's chest rose and fell. He watched the light shift with a vague air, but was too used to the sight to find it remotely fascinating. His insomnia had been worse than usual in the past weeks, and he had increasingly found himself awake throughout the night. Nonetheless, his being unable to remain unconscious for more than an hour or two at a time was proving frustrating.

With an angry huff, Tony ripped off the sheets and slid out of bed. Stumbling somewhat in the darkness, he exited the bedroom and into the extravagant open living space atop Stark Tower.

"Lights, J.A.R.V.I.S." he grunted, and the bright downlights blinked into action. Tony made a beeline for his personal (and very well-stocked) bar, reasoning that a nightcap could hardly do him any harm. He picked up the heavy glass decanter, poured himself a brandy, and almost dropped it in surprise.

On the floor, leaning up against the cupboard, was a leather-clad and extremely bloodied man. His dark hair was matted, his armor scratched and worn, and a thin trickle of blood ran along his hairline. He shifted uncomfortably in his sleep, head tilting slightly so that Tony could see his face.

"What?" he exclaimed blankly, shaking his head in confusion. "Loki?"

The man's eyes flickered open, pupils dilute and unfocused. His brow furrowed as though in pain as they drifted shut again but a moment later.

"Loki, what in the hell are you doing here?" Tony snapped, trying to sound imposing but finding it difficult considering the vulnerable way in which he was propped up against the wall.

"I had... Nowhere else." he replied, every word an effort. "They said they would find me, kill me..."

"Who? The Avengers?" Tony asked, failing to recall Fury mentioning any such mission the last time he had seen him.

"The Avengers? No - they haven't the nerve." Loki laughed, coughing slightly. "The Chitauri."

"I thought they were your best buds." Tony stated questioningly.

"Oh no, no. They are not pleased with me, not one bit." Loki responded, wincing as he straightened up slightly.

"They did this to you?" Tony clarified in shock.

Loki opened his eyes, staring up at him with an oddly innocent air. He looked, Tony thought, far more vulnerable than he had ever seen him before.

"They aren't overly pleased with me, may I suffice to say." he said finally.

"Well, alien army or not, they're not breaking into this tower any time soon." Tony replied instinctively, cursing himself a moment later.

Loki's eyes widened in surprise, and Tony averted his gaze, hiding the slight blush on his cheeks.

"Why are you here, anyway?" he returned snappily. "Aren't you meant to be in jail?"

"Ah, well, yes, I suppose I am." Loki replied, chuckling softly. "I am not fond of incarceration, however. Captivity suits me ill."

"Oh, okay, great." Tony said, rolling his eyes. "So you escape prison, get yourself captured and tortured by a bunch of psychotic aliens, and then come crawling into my high rise? Fury is going to _kill _me."

"How unfortunate. I had hoped that I may evade prison for a while longer, but it seems I am destined to pay my debt." Loki sighed, taking each breath tentatively, as though testing for a broken ribs.

"No, no, you misunderstand me. I'm not going to hand you over to Fury." Tony amended quickly.

Loki's eyes widened. "No? On what grounds? _Pity_, I suppose-"

"Not pity. Empathy." Tony replied shortly. "You've got daddy issues, I've got daddy issues... Besides, you need a place to mend yourself up, and I happen to have a conveniently located skyscraper for the purpose."

"I do not expect you-"

"Shut up. Just accept the offer."

Loki nodded his head gratefully, emerald eyes surveying Tony with curiosity.

"I am in your debt." he said finally.

"Yeah, whatever." Tony grumbled. "Do you want to lie down somewhere more comfortable?"

Loki raised his eyebrows.

"On the couch, I meant." he added awkwardly. "I, er, meant-"

"That would be most welcome, thank you." Loki replied graciously. His face screwed up as he tried to get to his feet, his arms trembling under the strain. Tony offered a hand of assistance, but Loki dismissed it with a cold glance, groaning in pain as he managed to haul himself upright.

"Pride still intact? Great, let's go." Tony commented, leading the way over to the sofa, followed by a hobbling Loki. "These Chitauri guys really did beat the shit out of you, didn't they?"

Loki sighed in relief as he fell back onto the black leather, but gave a short peal of laughter.

"You have no idea." he replied, eyes sliding shut as he leant back. It was only then that Tony noticed the man holding his hand tight to his torso, his palm flat to his armor.

"Take that hand away." Tony demanded, frowning slightly.

Loki opened his eyes, feigning surprise. "I am not sure I understand you."

"Move your hand." he repeated threateningly. Loki sighed and brought his hand away to reveal a bloody, jagged slash that tore right through his leather armor and into the flesh beneath. His hand was dripped scarlet liquid onto the polished concrete floor.

Tony cursed loudly at the sight of the wound.

"You need a doctor." he stated firmly.

"I am _fine." _Loki replied, rolling his eyes, but only managing to hide the pain in them somewhat. "I do not need some mortal fussing over every scratch-"

"That's more than a scratch, you idiotic diva-" Tony exclaimed, running a hand through his hair nerve-rackingly.

_"What _did you call me?" Loki snarled.

"You need to get that looked at." Tony finished, ignoring him. "At least let me put a bandage on it, or you'll bleed out."

"Absolutely not." Loki snarled immediately.

It was Tony's turn to roll his eyes. "Okay, how about this? I'll get the bandages, and you can do it yourself, if you won't let anyone else do it."

Loki narrowed his eyes. "Fine."

Tony turned away, muttering under his breath. "It's like dealing with a stubborn child."

"What?!"

"Nothing." Tony replied, flashing the god a falsely sweet grin as he disappeared out the doorway. A minute or two later he returned, several tightly-rolled bandages in his hand.

"Lucky OH&S calls for a first aid kit in my workshop." Tony said brightly, Loki giving him a deeply unimpressed glare as he handed him the bandages. He sat up and began to unroll one, before Tony coughed uncomfortably.

"What now?" Loki snapped.

"Well, you're, er, gonna need to take off some of that armor." he explained uncomfortably.

Loki raised his eyebrows in alarm.

"You can't bandage it over the top of all that leather and stuff." Tony stammered.

The dark haired man gave him a cold, threatening, _lay-one-hand-on-me-and-you-are-dead _stare. Tony stepped back and averted his eyes awkwardly as Loki shed his overcoat and unbuckled his leather tunic. He pulled it off, wincing slightly as the fabric skimmed over his wound. His torso, thin but muscular, was pale and dotted with blossoming purple bruises. His trembling but skilled hands quickly wound the bandage around his chest, and Tony, glancing over in spite of himself, could already see blood blossoming underneath the white fabric. Loki tucked in the end of the bandage and cast his gaze across to Tony.

"Satisfied?"

"Yep." Tony agreed, trying not to feel uncomfortable agreeing to such a statement whilst standing meters from a shirtless Asgardian god.

"If that is all, then..." Loki trailed off, lying back down and deliberately taking no consideration for the furniture as he kicked his boots up onto the sofa.

Tony bit his tongue to stop himself from laughing, and walked away, unnoticed by the god, whose eyes were already blissfully shut.


	2. Chapter 2

Tony woke unwillingly the next morning, shaking off the remnants of a pleasant albeit unusual dream. Dragging himself out of bed, he stumbled sleepily into the living room, and received a sharp jolt of shock as he spotted Loki, fast asleep on the couch.

_Not a dream, then, I guess, _he thought in surprise.

The slender figure looked at home curled up on the black leather sofa, his chest rising and falling slightly, eyelids fluttering in his sleep. Tony's eyes widened for a moment as he saw Loki's leather tunic and coat cast carelessly onto the floor, before he remembered the circumstances leading to his lack of clothing. Tony eyed the bandage around his chest, and saw that it was soaked through with blood. Loki's forehead was crumpled slightly, as though haunted by a bad dream.

Tony crept past him and picked up the bottle of brandy, still sitting on the counter from the previous night. He poured himself a glass, careful not to make the glass chink for fear of waking his guest.

Suddenly Loki made a strangled noise and sat bolt upright, eyes wide and fearful. He spotted Tony and masked any sign of vulnerability in a fraction of a second.

"Want a drink?" Tony asked casually, deciding not to test the god's patience with questions just yet.

"I suppose." he replied, smoothing his sleep-ruffled hair absentmindedly.

"Any preferences?"

"Surprise me."

Tony grabbed another glass and poured it professionally with one hand, snatching the ice tray out of the freezer with the other.

"Ah, no ice." Loki interjected quickly. Tony raised his eyebrows, and the god laughed. "I assure you, it is not worth such a shock so early in the morning. Ice and Jotuns do not mix so well - but that is a story for another time. Definitely no ice for me."

The other man shrugged and carried over the brandies, Loki accepting his with a grateful inclination of the head. Tony fell back onto the couch and kicked his feet up on the coffee table, earning an amused smirk from the dark-haired man.

"So, you got any plans? Gonna try and destroy Tokyo before lunch or something?" Tony asked conversationally.

Loki grinned, staring down at his drink sheepishly. "Er, no, not as such. I think I'll leave the conquering of Midgard to someone else for today."

"I agree wholeheartedly." Tony said sarcastically, nodding in agreement. "To be honest, I wasn't much a fan of your plan last time. Really, really bad idea. I can't even imagine what compelled you to mess with the Tessaract."

"I'm sure you can't." Loki replied brusquely.

Tony raised his eyebrows. "Oh? A sensitive topic, I see?"

Loki snarled angrily, surprised by the mortal's nerve.

"You are a child playing with fire and expecting not to get burnt." he snapped.

"No, I'm just willing to risk a burn for a little fun, that's all." Tony responded plainly. "So, Reindeer Games, what's the deal? Why try and steal a power you know you can't control, for an army that you know will hunt you down and torture you until they get what they want?"

"What did I have to lose?" Loki replied angrily, shooting to his feet and pacing back and forth slightly - his nervous habit.

"I have no idea. Your outstanding hairstyle?" Tony suggested sassily.

Loki ignored him, shaking his head and screwing up his face in a scornful scowl. "It was worth an attempt, at the least, to try and regain any scrap of power I could. I had lost my influence in Asgard, not to mention any value I might have had to my supposed father. Who, might I add, is _not _in fact my father, but just another detail in the elaborate web of lies that was spun around me throughout my whole childhood!"

"Daddy issues, we've all got them." Tony said dismissively.

"What?!" Loki spat. "You think I merely have _daddy issues?"_

"I know you do." Tony replied shortly.

"You are a fool. Do you not see?" Loki laughed derisively. "I am not Loki Odinson, I am not Loki Laufeyson. I am neither Asgardian nor of Jotun. I am Loki only, and I am alone."

Tony bowed his head, and noted quietly: "Perhaps you spent so much time focusing on how you weren't your father's favorite that you never noticed that you were Thor's."

"Thor's what?"

"Thor's favorite."

Loki frowned slightly, head tilted to the side as he surveyed Tony with interest.

"You have a curious method of perception." he said finally.

"Yeah, well, what else would you expect from a genius-billionaire-playboy-philanthropist?" Tony replied, shrugging.

Loki rolled his eyes, amusement playing at his pursed lips.

"So, seeing as world domination is out of the question, what's the plan? Feeding the ducks at Central Park?" Tony suggested playfully.

Loki narrowed his eyes.

"I think I will require some rest before I attempt anything of the sort." he mused, stretching out his arms and wincing slightly. "Usually I would heal myself, but it takes energy an amount of I do not yet possess."

"Heal yourself? What, with magic?" Tony asked, frowning slightly.

"Precisely." Loki answered briefly. "But it does require considerable focus and power, and as I said, I am not at my peak just at the moment. That said, it took me several hours to recover from that Hulk creature, and these injuries are considerably more... Skillfully inflicted, shall I say."

"A few hours to heal? You poor thing." Tony scoffed.

Loki smiled dazzlingly, eyes sparkling with a mischief that seemed both natural and at ease.

"I am a god, you know."

_"I am a god, you know." _Tony mouthed silently, with as much sass as he could muster. Loki laughed, then winced, bringing a hand to his bloody bandages with a pained look.

"You'll need to change those, unless you want the cut to become infected." Tony pointed out, picking up one of the leftover bandages from the previous night off the coffee table and tossing it across to Loki, who caught it agilely. He gave Tony a stony look, who took the cue to glance away and grant the god some modesty as he redressed his wound.

"As much as I'm sure you enjoy me wandering around your tower dressed like this," Loki began with a smirk, gesturing lightly to his bare chest. "It would seem apt to acquire some clothing that isn't so... Tattered."

He indicated the pile of bloody, ruined fabric that had been his armor.

"I don't think I have any." Tony admitted, scratching the back of his neck, frowning. "I mean, none of mine will fit you, obviously."

Loki's face flittered with confusion.

"Oh, come on, do I have to say it? You're pretty damn tall, and I'm... Well, not." Tony finished reluctantly. Loki gave him a broad smirk. "Yeah, yeah, quit that. I'll have J.A.R.V.I.S. deliver something."

"J.A.R.V.I.S.?" Loki repeated slowly, frowning.

Tony laughed shortly. "I'd almost forgotten - you're all Roman-era, aren't you, on Asgard?"

Loki stared blankly.

"Er, do you have wi-fi?" Tony inquired pointedly. The god shook his head. "No, I didn't think so. Well, I guess I'll have to show you J.A.R.V.I.S. at some stage. That and everything else that's been invented in the last two thousand years."

Loki's top lip curled contemptuously, and Tony held up his hands in a sign of peace.

"Sorry, sorry, didn't mean to anger you. Let's just stick to the no-kill rule we'd established for today, alright?"

"Yes, of course." Loki agreed smoothly, a smile on his lips and an entirely unconvincing gleam in his eyes. Tony frowned ever so slightly.

"Alright, well, I've got work to do, so-"

"Work?" Loki repeated questioningly.

Tony rolled his eyes. "Surprisingly enough, you don't earn billionaire status by playing Oprah with Asgardian gods all day. You're a big boy, you can take care of yourself, can't you?"

With that he strode from the room, leaving a partially bewildered Loki in his wake.

"J.A.R.V.I.S., keep a damn close watch on that bastard. I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him - like a bull in a china shop, that one." Tony muttered, once he was out of earshot.

The cool, British voice chuckled quietly. "Of course, sir. There are more cameras in that room than there are flaws in the Mark VIII prototype."

"Is that a dig?"

"I believe it is, sir."

"Tell me, J.A.R.V.I.S., why did I program you to be such a sassy bitch?"

"I haven't the slightest clue, sir."

"Me neither."


End file.
